The Latin Writing System: Shaping Words, Shaping Worlds A One-Week Design Study Abroad Experience in Italy

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Travel through time—and across Italy—as you explore how writing has shaped human communication, creativity, and culture. As part of DES265: The Latin Writing System, this unforgettable one-week study abroad experience brings the history of typography to life through hands-on learning in Rome, Cornuda, and Treviso.

Start in Rome, where ancient Latin inscriptions etched into stone tell the story of an empire. Wander the Colosseum and Roman Forum, then dive deeper at the Epigraphic Museum, where you examine real artifacts and practice reading the scripts that shaped history. Next, step into the awe-inspiring Vatican Library and Biblioteca Casanatense, home to illuminated manuscripts and rare books, to see how medieval scribes turned words into works of art.

Then head north to Cornuda and Treviso, where you roll up your sleeves at Tipoteca Italiana, one of Europe’s most innovative typography museums. Try your hand at letterpress printing, work with historical type, and discover how type design transformed modern communication.

Wrap up your journey back in Rome with a visit to MAXXI – the Museum of 21st Century Arts, where you explore how digital tools and contemporary design are redefining typography today.

Whether you’re a designer, artist, writer, or history buff, this course is your chance to connect the past with the future—and earn credit while you do it.

Courses

Des 265 Topics in Design, 3 credits (Prerequisite: May be stipulated at time of topic offering)

Program Director

Prof. Peggy Bloomer
Art & Design
860.832.3336
bloomerp@ccsu.edu